1949 Chevy Suspension - Get On Down!

Let's face it, unless you're building a gasser, any car looks cooler lowered. Back in the day when suspensions moved on from beam axles and buggy springs this was achieved by using lowering blocks, cutting or torching coil springs, removing leaves from springs or reversing the spring eyes. These days the aftermarket offers up any number of lowering kits for most popular vehicles, making the job easier and definitely safer if it eliminates torched coils!

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One of the most prolific suppliers of parts to lower old Fords and Chevys is Jamco, which can supply dropped spindles, lowered leaf and coil springs, and lowering blocks. However, anything other than a mild lowering job will bring a car's chassis closer to the suspension components, especially at the rear, where contact between the chassis and the axle itself is commonplace-and not exactly desirable! The solution is to C-notch the frame, essentially raising the part of the chassis above the axle to retrieve full suspension travel with lowered suspension. Why's it called a C-notch? Simply because once completed the resulting arch over the axle looks like a sideways letter C.

Circle City Hot Rods recently lowered a customer's '49 Chevy using Jamco components at all four corners, retaining the stock torque tube rearend and straight-six running gear. With a C-notch as part of the job, we camped out in their workshop with our trusty Canon to show you how it was done.